Please visit the User Guide to learn about using the Conservation Opportunities Modeler.CA Nature supports the California Natural Resources Agency’s goals for equitable access for all, the conservation of the state’s biodiversity, and expanding the use of nature-based solutions to address climate change. The Conservation Opportunities Modeler uses a technique called a Weighted Raster Overlay (WRO) to evaluate multiple factors simultaneously. You can select layers from almost 50 layers in library, assign a weight to each selected layer, and then a scores to the available variables. These are then combined to show the range of combined values across the landscape, whether high or low based on your assigned weights. Data libraries are available to explore opportunities for access for all, biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as opportunities that integrate across multiple challenges. After your model is complete, run it online and explore the results through interactive summaries and comparison against data from CA Nature or other sources. Use the Conservation Opportunities Modeler to explore opportunities through building your own scenarios.

The Terrestrial 30x30 Conserved Areas map layer was developed by the CA Nature working group, providing a statewide perspective on areas managed for the protection or enhancement of biodiversity. Understanding the spatial distribution and extent of these durably protected and managed areas is a vital aspect of tracking and achieving the “30x30” goal of conserving 30% of California's lands and waters by 2030.

Terrestrial and Freshwater Data
• The California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), developed and managed by GreenInfo Network, is the most comprehensive collection of data on open space in California. CPAD data consists of Holdings, a single parcel or small group of parcels which comprise the spatial features of CPAD, generally corresponding to ownership boundaries.

• The California Conservation Easement Database (CCED), managed by GreenInfo Network, aggregates data on lands with easements. Conservation Easements are legally recorded interests in land in which a landholder sells or relinquishes certain development rights to their land in perpetuity.
Easements are often used to ensure that lands remain as open space, either as working farm or ranch lands, or areas for biodiversity protection. Easement restrictions typically remain with the land through changes in ownership.

•The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), hosted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is developed in coordination with multiple federal, state, and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners. PAD-US, through the Gap Analysis Project (GAP), uses a numerical coding system in which GAP codes 1 and 2 correspond to management strategies with explicit emphasis on protection and enhancement of biodiversity. PAD-US is not specifically aligned to parcel boundaries and as such,
boundaries represented within it may not align with other data sources.

• Numerous datasets representing designated boundaries for entities such as
National Parks and Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness Areas,
and others, were downloaded from publicly available sources, typically
hosted by the managing agency.

Methodology
1.CPAD and CCED represent the most accurate location and ownership information for
parcels in California which contribute to the preservation of open space
and cultural and biological resources.

2. Superunits are collections of parcels (Holdings) within CPAD which share a name,
manager, and access policy. Most Superunits are also managed with a
generally consistent strategy for biodiversity conservation. Examples of
Superunits include Yosemite National Park, Giant Sequoia National
Monument, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

3. Some Superunits, such as those owned and managed by the Bureau of Land
Management, U.S. Forest Service, or National Park Service , are
intersected by one or more designations, each of which may have a
distinct management emphasis with regards to biodiversity. Examples of
such designations are Wilderness Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, or
National Monuments.

4. CPAD Superunits and CCED easements were
intersected with all designation boundary files to create the operative
spatial units for conservation analysis, henceforth 'Conservation
Units,' which make up the Terrestrial 30x30 Conserved Areas map layer. Each easement was functionally considered to be a Superunit.

5. Each Conservation Unit was intersected with the PAD-US dataset in order to
determine the management emphasis with respect to biodiversity, i.e.,
the GAP code. Because PAD-US is national in scope and not specifically
parcel aligned with California assessors' surveys, a direct spatial
extraction of GAP codes from PAD-US would leave tens of thousands of GAP
code data slivers within the 30x30 Conserved Areas map. Consequently, a generalizing approach was adopted, such that any Conservation Unit with greater than 80% areal overlap with a single
GAP code was uniformly assigned that code. Additionally, the total area
of GAP codes 1 and 2 were summed for the remaining uncoded Conservation
Units. If this sum was greater than 80% of the unit area, the Conservation Unit was coded as GAP 2.

6.Subsequent to this stage of analysis, certain Conservation Units remained uncoded,
either due to the lack of a single GAP code (or combined GAP codes 1&2) overlapping 80% of the area, or because the area was not sufficiently represented in the PAD-US dataset.

7.These uncoded Conservation Units were then broken down into their
constituent, finer resolution Holdings, which were then analyzed
according to the above workflow.

8. Areas remaining uncoded following the two-step process of coding at the Superunit and
then Holding levels were assigned a GAP code of 4. This is consistent
with the definition of GAP Code 4: areas unknown to have a biodiversity
management focus.

9. Greater than 90% of all areas in the Terrestrial 30x30 Conserved
Areas map layer were GAP coded at the level of CPAD Superunits intersected by designation boundaries, the coarsest land units of analysis. By adopting these coarser analytical units, the Terrestrial 30X30 Conserved Areas map layer avoids hundreds of thousands of spatial slivers that result from intersecting designations with smaller, more numerous parcel records. In most cases, individual parcels reflect the management scenario and GAP status of the umbrella Superunit and other spatially coincident designations.

10. PAD-US is a principal data source for understanding the spatial distribution of GAP coded lands, but it is national in scope, and may not always be the most current source of data with respect to California holdings. GreenInfo Network, which develops and maintains the CPAD and CCED datasets, has taken a lead role in establishing communication with land stewards across California in order to make GAP attribution of these lands as current and accurate as possible. The tabular attribution of these datasets is analyzed in addition to PAD-US in order to understand whether a holding may be considered conserved.

Tracking Conserved Areas
The total acreage of conserved areas will increase as California works towards its 30x30 goal. Some changes will be due to shifts in legal protection designations or management status of specific lands and waters. However, shifts may also result from new data representing
improvements in our understanding of existing biodiversity conservation
efforts. The California Nature Project is expected to generate a great deal of excitement regarding the state's trajectory towards achieving the 30x30 goal. We also expect it to spark discussion about how to shape that trajectory, and how to strategize and optimize outcomes. We encourage landowners, managers, and stakeholders to investigate how their lands are represented in the Terrestrial 30X30 Conserved Areas Map Layer. This can be accomplished by using the Conserved Areas Explorer web application, developed by the CA Nature working group. Users can zoom into the locations they understand best and share their expertise with us to improve the data representing the status of conservation efforts at these sites. The Conserved Areas Explorer presents a tremendous opportunity to strengthen our existing data infrastructure and the channels of communication between land stewards and data curators, encouraging the transfer of knowledge and improving the quality of data.

CPAD, CCED, and PAD-US are built from the ground up. Data is derived from available parcel information and submissions from those who own and manage the land. So better data starts with you. Do boundary lines require updating? Is the GAP code inconsistent with a Holding’s conservation status? If land under your care can be better represented in the Terrestrial 30X30 Conserved Areas map layer, please use this link to initiate a review.The results of these reviews will inform updates to the California Protected Areas Database, California Conservation Easement Database, and PAD-US as appropriate for incorporation into future updates to CA Nature and tracking progress to 30x30.

California Nature Conserved Areas Explorer The Conserved Areas Explorer is a web application enabling users to investigate a synthesis of the best available data representing lands and coastal waters of California that are durably protected and managed to support functional ecosystems, both intact and restored, and the species that rely on them. Understanding the spatial distribution and extent of these durably protected and managed areas is a vital aspect of tracking and achieving the “30x30” goal of conserving 30% of California's lands and waters by 2030.Terrestrial and Freshwater Data• The California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), developed and managed by GreenInfo Network, is the most comprehensive collection of data on open space in California. CPAD data consists of Holdings, a single parcel or group of parcels, such that the spatial features of CPAD correspond to ownership boundaries. • The California Conservation Easement Database (CCED), also managed by GreenInfo Network, aggregates data on lands with easements. Conservation Easements are legally recorded interests in land in which a landholder sells or relinquishes certain development rights to their land in perpetuity. Easements are often used to ensure that lands remain as open space, either as working farm or ranch lands, or areas for biodiversity protection. Easement restrictions typically remain with the land through changes in ownership. • The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), hosted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is developed in coordination with multiple federal, state, and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners. PAD-US, through the Gap Analysis Project (GAP), uses a numerical coding system in which GAP codes 1 and 2 correspond to management strategies with explicit emphasis on protection and enhancement of biodiversity. PAD-US is not specifically aligned to parcel boundaries and as such, boundaries represented within it may not align with other data sources. • Numerous datasets representing designated boundaries for entities such as National Parks , and Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness Areas, and others, were downloaded from publicly available sources, typically hosted by the managing agency.Methodology1. CPAD and CCED represent the most accurate _location and ownership information for parcels in California which contribute to the preservation of open space and cultural and biological resources.2. Superunits are collections of parcels (Holdings) within CPAD which share a name, manager, and access policy. Most Superunits are also managed with a generally consistent strategy for biodiversity conservation. Examples of Superunits include Yosemite National Park, Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. 3. Some Superunits, such as those owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, or National Park Service , are intersected by one or more designations, each of which may have a distinct management emphasis with regards to biodiversity. Examples of such designations are Wilderness Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, or National Monuments.4. CPAD Superunits were intersected with all designation boundary files to create the operative spatial units for conservation analysis, henceforth 'Conservation Units,' which make up the Conserved Areas Map Layer. Each easement was functionally considered to be a Superunit. 5. Each Conservation Unit was intersected with the PAD-US dataset in order to determine the management emphasis with respect to biodiversity, i.e., the GAP code. Because PAD-US is national in scope and not specifically parcel aligned with California assessors' surveys, a direct spatial extraction of GAP codes from PAD-US would leave tens of thousands of GAP code data slivers within the Conserved Areas Map. Consequently, a generalizing approach was adopted, such that any Conservation Unit with greater than 80% areal overlap with a single GAP code was uniformly assigned that code. Additionally, the total area of GAP codes 1 and 2 were summed for the remaining uncoded Conservation Units. If this sum was greater than 80% of the unit area, the Conservation Unit was coded as GAP 2. 6. Subsequent to this stage of analysis, certain Conservation Units remained uncoded, either due to the lack of a single GAP code (or combined GAP codes 1&2) overlapping 80% of the area, or because the area was not sufficiently represented in the PAD-US dataset. 7. These uncoded Conservation Units were then broken down into their constituent, finer resolution Holdings, which were then analyzed according to the above workflow. 8. Areas remaining uncoded following the two-step process of coding at the Superunit and Holding levels were assigned a GAP code of 4. This is consistent with the definition of GAP Code 4: areas unknown to have a biodiversity management focus. 9. Greater than 90% of all areas in the Conserved Areas Explorer were GAP coded at the level of Superunits intersected by designation boundaries, the coarsest unit of analysis. By adopting this coarser analytical unit, the Conserved Areas Explorer maintains a greater level of user responsiveness, avoiding the need to maintain and display hundreds of thousands of additional parcel records, which in most cases would only reflect the management scenario and GAP status of the umbrella Superunit and other spatially coincident designations.Marine Data • The Conserved Areas Explorer displays the network of 124 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along coastal waters and the shoreline of California. There are several categories of MPAs, some permitting varying levels of commercial and recreational fishing and waterfowl hunting, while roughly half of all MPAs do not permit any harvest. These data include all of California's marine protected areas (MPAs) as defined January 1, 2019. This dataset reflects the Department of Fish and Wildlife's best representation of marine protected areas based upon current California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 632: Natural Resources, Division 1: FGC- DFG. This dataset is not intended for navigational use or defining legal boundaries.Tracking Conserved AreasThe total acreage of conserved areas will increase as California works towards its 30x30 goal. Some changes will be due to shifts in legal protection designations or management status of specific lands and waters. However, shifts may also result from new data representing improvements in our understanding of existing biodiversity conservation efforts. The California Nature Conserved Areas Explorer is expected to generate a great deal of excitement regarding the state's trajectory towards achieving the 30x30 goal. We also expect it to spark discussion about how to shape that trajectory, and how to strategize and optimize outcomes. We encourage landowners, managers, and stakeholders to zoom into the locations they understand best and share their expertise with us to improve the data representing the status of conservation efforts at these sites. The Conserved Areas Explorer presents a tremendous opportunity to strengthen our existing data infrastructure and the channels of communication between land stewards and data curators, encouraging the transfer of knowledge and improving the quality of data. CPAD, CCED, and PAD-US are built from the ground up. These terrestrial data sources are derived from available parcel information and submissions from those who own and manage the land. So better data starts with you. Do boundary lines require updating? Is the GAP code inconsistent with a Holding’s conservation status? If land under your care can be better represented in the Conserved Areas Explorer, please use this link to initiate a review. The results of these reviews will inform updates to the California Protected Areas Database, California Conservation Easement Database, and PAD-US as appropriate for incorporation into future updates to CA Nature and tracking progress to 30x30.

Regional boundaries for use by CA Nature to support activities related to Executive Order N-82-20. These include California's 30x30 effort, Climate Smart Land Strategies, and equitable access to open space. This layer is derived from the 4th California Climate Assessment regions, and enhanced using the California County Boundaries dataset (version 19.1) maintained by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Fire Resource Assessment Program, and the 3 Nautical Mile marine boundary for California sourced from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In October 2020, Governor Newsom signed his Nature Based Solutions Executive Order N-82-20, elevating the role of natural and working lands in the fight against climate change and advancing biodiversity conservation as an administration priority. 30x30 is part of an international movement, to use conservation of natural areas to protect biodiversity and combat climate change.To date, over 70 countries have signed onto the pledge...

These boundaries define the regions based on terrestrial and marine areas. These are intended to be used in by CA Nature to support activities related to Executive Order N-82-20. These include California's 30x30 effort, Climate Smart Land Strategies, and equitable access to open space. This layer is derived from the 4th California Climate Assessment regions, and enhanced using the California County Boundaries dataset (version 19.1) maintained by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Fire Resource Assessment Program, and the 3 Nautical Mile marine boundary for California sourced from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Biodiversity Explorer is a set of maps and summary information drawn from several key datasets of the Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) project, developed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). A user can define an area of interest within an ecoregion to concurrently view aggregated landscape rankings from several ACE biodiversity indices.

SummaryThe Essential Connectivity Map shows a statewide network of 850 relatively intact Natural Landscape Blocks (ranging in size from 2,000 to about 3.7 million acres) connected by 192 Essential Connectivity Areas (Table 3.1). There are fewer Essential Connectivity Areas than Natural Landscape Blocks, because each Essential Connectivity Area serves to connect at least two, and as many as 15 Natural Landscape Blocks. Due to the broad, statewide nature of this map, and its focus on connecting very large blocks of mostly protected natural lands, the network omits many areas that are important to biological conservation. The purpose of the map is to focus attention on large areas important to maintaining ecological integrity at the broadest scale. Natural areas excluded from this broad-brush Essential Connectivity Network can therefore not be "written off" as unimportant to connectivity conservation or to sustaining California's natural heritage.DescriptionThe California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project because a functional network of connected wildlands is essential to the continued support of California's diverse natural communities in the face of human development and climate change. The Essential Connectivity Map depicts large, relatively natural habitat blocks that support native biodiversity (Natural Landscape Blocks) and areas essential for ecological connectivity between them (Essential Connectivity Areas). This coarse-scale map was based primarily on the concept of ecological integrity, rather than the needs of particular species. Essential Connectivity Areas are placeholder polygons that can inform land-planning efforts, but that should eventually be replaced by more detailed Linkage Designs, developed at finer resolution based on the needs of particular species and ecological processes. It is important to recognize that even areas outside of Natural Landscape Blocks and Essential Connectivity Areas support important ecological values that should not be "written off" as lacking conservation value. Furthermore, because the Essential Habitat Connectivity Map was created at the statewide scale, based on available statewide data layers, and ignored Natural Landscape Blocks smaller than 2,000 acres squared, it has errors of omission that should be addressed at regional and local scales.CEHC Least Cost Corridors (LACo)Mosaic of least-cost corridor results for all Essential Connectivity Areas and clipped to the LA County Boundary. The minimum cell value was used for overlapping cells.CEHC Cost Surface (LACo)Statewide resistance surface generated for least-cost corridor models and clipped to the LA County Boundary.

This dataset contains 30-year rolling average of annual average precipitation across all four models and two greenhouse gas (RCP) scenarios in the four model ensemble. The year identified for a 30 year rolling average is the mid-point of the 30-year average. eg. The year 2050 includes the values from 2036 to 2065. The downscaling and selection of models for inclusion in ten and four model ensembles is described in Pierce et al. 2018, but summarized here. Thirty two global climate models (GCMs) were identified to meet the modeling requirements. From those, ten that closely simulate California’s climate were selected for additional analysis (Table 1, Pierce et al. 2018) and to form a ten model ensemble. From the ten model ensemble, four models, forming a four model ensemble, were identified to provide coverage of the range of potential climate outcomes in California. The models in the four model ensemble and their general climate projection for California are: HadGEM2-ES (warm/dry),CanESM2 (average), CNRM-CM5 (cooler/wetter),and MIROC5 the model least like the others to improve coverage of the range of outcomes. These data were downloaded from Cal-Adapt and prepared for use within CA Nature by California Natural Resource Agency and ESRI staff. Cal-Adapt. (2018). LOCA Derived Data [GeoTIFF]. Data derived from LOCA Downscaled CMIP5 Climate Projections. Cal-Adapt website developed by University of California at Berkeley’s Geospatial Innovation Facility under contract with the California Energy Commission. Retrieved from https://cal-adapt.org/ Pierce, D. W., J. F. Kalansky, and D. R. Cayan, (Scripps Institution of Oceanography). 2018. Climate, Drought, and Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the Fourth California Climate Assessment. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, California Energy Commission. Publication Number: CNRA-CEC-2018-006.

NGO Nature Reserves are polygon features describing lands held by nature trusts and other non-government agencies for the purpose of nature conservation. We are no longer updating this data. It is best suited for historical research and analysis. This product requires the use of GIS software. *[NGO]: non-government agency *[GIS]: geographic information system

The Biodiversity Explorer is a set of maps and summary information on species, natural communities, and habitat types tracked by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Information is drawn from several key datasets of the Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) project, and multiple vegetation mapping efforts across the state. A user can define an area of interest within an ecoregion to concurrently view aggregated landscape rankings from several ACE biodiversity indices, or view statistics on the conservation status of habitat types from within the Habitat and Land Cover dashboard.

In 2018, the Nature Conservancy established the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, a 24,364 acre property around Point Conception, California. The Preserve protects over eight miles of near-pristine coastline and rare connected coastal habitat in Santa Barbara County. Soon after the Preserve was established, Aeroptic, LLC, an aerial imagery company, worked with The Nature Conservancy and ESRI to capture aerial lidar and natural color orthomosaic imagery over the Preserve

Search a list of the scientific and technical publications issued since 2004. Email us to request a publication.

This catalogue is designed for users of natural resources scientific and technical information, such as researchers with universities and other governments, foresters and biologists, and conservation authority staff. It provides a complete list of Ontario’s scientific and technical publications on natural resources and forestry issued since 2004, including:

• Scientific and technical publications commissioned by the Province
• Journal articles written by ministry staff

This dataset contains status updates and projected timelines for the preparation of recovery strategies for 37 species required under the Endangered Species Act, 2007. Full context for these data are available from: "How species at risk are protected" Keywords: species at risk, Endangered Species Act, biodiversity, wildlife & nature

This layer contains polygon features of Ecological Units for the state of California as described by ECOMAP (1993) "... mapped based on associations of those biotic and environmental factors that directly affect or indirectly express energy, moisture, and nutrient gradients which regulate the structure and function of ecosystems. These factors include climate, physiography, water, soils, air, hydrology, and potential natural communities." These divisions were first created by Bailey in 1976 and have been updated since. This dataset is the 2007 (Goudey) version. This version of the ecoregion subsections was used by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for their Areas of Conservation Emphasis work and their Wildlife Action Plan (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/Analysis/ACE & https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/SWAP/Final). Complete metadata can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/landmanagement/gis/?cid=fsbdev3_048133. The original data can be downloaded in full here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5351343.zip. This dataset was uploaded to Data Basin and is available with additional information at: https://databasin.org/datasets/81a3a809a2ae4c099f2e495c0b2ecc91/

Click here to access the California Natural Resources Agency open data site. Data categories on this site include water, climate, energy, land management and more.

This data is a graphic representation of natural gas utility service territories. The file has not been certified by a Professional Surveyor. This data is not suitable for legal purposes. The purpose of this data is to provide a generalized statewide view of electric service territories. The data does not include individual or commercial releases. A release is an agreement between adjoining utilities that release customers from one utility to be served by the adjoining utility. A customer release does not change the territory boundary. The file has been compiled from numerous sources and as such contains errors. The data only contains the electric utility service territories and the name of the utility.The data was derived from ESRI zipcode boundary and utility companies.California Energy Commission's Open Data Portal.

These are sites that are nationally designated for their value to nature (SSSIs, SACs and SPAs), are designated as Local Nature Reserves, are locally designated as ‘Sites of Nature Conservation Interest’ (SNCIs), and/or are irreplaceable habitat including ancient woodland. Data correct as of 07/11/2024. For latest information and definitive site boundaries please contact Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) at https://www.brerc.org.uk/